Projects Page 2012-2013

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  6. Step 1 Brainstorming a Question
  7. Step 2 Variables and Hypotheses
  8. Step 3 Design Your Experiment
  9. Step 4 Plan your experiment
  10. Step 5 Do your experiment
  11. Step 6 Background
  12. Step 7 Analyze Your Data
  13. Step 8 What does it mean?
  14. Step 9 Prepare for Presentation
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kayr-tem3

Edit 2 41 …

Apple page!!:):D:):D:P


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Broad Question

Which type of apple molds faster?

Specific Question

Which type of apple (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious) molds faster in a plastic bag for 6 weeks?

Variables

Independent Variable

Apple Type

Dependent Variable:

Surface Area of Mold

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

temperature, plastic bag brand, measurements, and apple size

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Hypothesis

I hypothesis that Granny Smith will have the most mold in a plastic bag out of 6 weeks.

Hypothesis Graph

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Experimental Design

I’m going to conduct an experiment that will help me determine which apple will mold the most. I am going to conduct the experiment in school. One subject will be involved in my experiment. My role is to set up the experiment and to type all the observations that happen. There will only be three trials to complete the test. I will print out the data table so I can use it for the experiment. I will document the process by using one of the school’s cameras.

Materials List

  • 1 Granny Smith Apple
  • 1 Golden Delicious Apple
  • 1 Red Delicious Apple
  • Digital Camera
  • Data Table
  • 9 Plastic Bags
  • Pencil
  • Metric Ruler

Detailed Procedure

  1. Get materials
  2. Use a metric ruler to draw a 1x1cm grid on each of the nine plastic bags.
  3. Cut each apple into thirds.
  4. Put each slice in a bag.
  5. Label the plastic bag with the correct names.
  6. Put the apples on the counter.
  7. Take a picture of the apples.
  8. In one week, take a picture of the apples. Record the surface area of mold on each apple in the data table.
  9. Continue to record data for six weeks.

Background Research

  1. Food spoils because it deteriorates because of a natural aging process.
  2. Mold is a type of fungus. It can be found on decaying food or in moist places. Molds have been in existence for 550 million years. Mold reproduces asexually. Some molds reproduce by producing a zygote, which unites two different cells.
  3. Food spoilage is when the food is harmful to humans and not edible anymore. When food is not fresh anymore, rotten, and has mold on it those are the signs of food spoilage, and it means that their is bacteria growing on the food. Their are three types of food spoilage, which is yeast, molds, and bacteria. Some fruit contains high acid in them like apples and strawberries, which is where yeast and mold can grow in. These types of food spoilage are bad and can make you sick like mold. If you eat a fruit of food that has mold on it you’ll get sick. You can usually tell if a food has yeast, mold , or bacteria because it will smell bad. For example, yeast growth causes fermentation. It’s like when grapes go bad they taste like wine or something, because their fermented, and yeast growth causes that.
  4. Mold is what you find in food. They’re sometimes dangerous and the poisonous substances in them can make you sick or it can give you a allergic reaction, but they’re not totally bad you use mold to make certain types of cheese, but they’re are rarely molds on meat.

References

  1. Thrall , Lacie. "Why Does Food Spoil?." Food Safety. Food Handler , 2011. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. <http://www.foodservice.com/food_safety/fb6.cfm>.
  2. Vieges, Jennifer. Fungi and Mold. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group , 2004. Print.
  3. "Spoilage of Food." Chemistry Project "Food Preservation's". Web. 20 Jan. 2012. <http://home.pacific.net.hk/~ppleung/Chem/spoilage.htm>.
  4. "Molds On Food: Are They Dangerous?" USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Home. United States Department of Agriculture, Mar.-Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Molds_On_Food/>.





Results

Data Table


Graphs




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Photos


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Macintosh 1 at Week 4
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Granny Smith 3 at Week 4



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Granny Smith 3 and Macintosh 1 at Week 4
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Granny 1 at Week 4
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Mac 2, Granny Smith 1, Jazz 3 at Week 4












Data Analysis


Conclusion

The purpose of the experiment was to see which type of apple (Granny Smith, Jazz, or Macintosh) would mold faster in 6 weeks. The results were that the Granny Smith had the most molds out of all three; Jazz didn’t have any mold at all. The only thing that I noticed about the Jazz slices was that it had a little yellow staining. Granny Smith had the most mold throughout the whole experiment. During the middle of the week the Macintosh slices started molding. When I was measuring the surface area I noticed that the Macintosh slices were really yellow but not considered moldy; almost like squishy and it was starting to rot. It’s weird to describe it but some of the slices were dripping with moisture and some were dry, like the Jazz. The reason for this, I conclude, is because before I did the test the slices of Jazz got more air in the bag then the rest. Or maybe the slices just got drier quicker.

Discussion


My hypothesis was that Granny Smith would have the most surface area of mold out of all three apple types (Jazz, Macintosh). My results did support my hypothesis. There was not a relationship between the independent and dependent variable. Some trends that my data show are that the Granny Smith almost doubled surface area for mold each week. In the first two weeks there was no mold, but after that you could see that it grew doubled. There weren’t any trends for Macintosh or Jazz; hardly any data to compare results. This is why I don’t think the data went smoothly, my thoughts are I think I should’ve had more weeks and then maybe we could compare results. Another thing is I think during the beginning the apple slices should’ve been completely dry with no water then maybe it would’ve affected the apple more. Something we could’ve changed was that the apples could’ve been in different locations then compare the data. What I’m trying to say is they’re just some minor problems with the way it was set up, but I’m not saying that the data is wrong. If I could improve my experiment I would’ve added maybe changed it to compare the type of location it’s in; as I said before. I definitely would’ve added more time and probably, but the thing I noticed was that I would’ve changed the Macintosh so it would’ve been all wet and squishy. An interesting study might involve scientists finding a way where food couldn’t spoil or how to protect food.